Honda FT500 Metropolitan by Lorenzo Buratti

The Honda FT500 (also known as the Honda Ascot) was a motorcycle built in the early ’80s to fill a niche that Honda saw for a mid-sized motorcycle designed with flat-tracker styling cues (the FT in the name stands for flat track). Sadly, Honda had slightly over-estimated the demand for the model and sales were dismal. After being offered for sale for just 2 years, the bike was pulled from the market and the remaining showroom models were sold at half their retail value ($1,295 vs the MSRP of $2,195).

Sold between 1982 and 1984, the Honda FT500 was fitted with a 497cc single cylinder engine capable of producing 34hp at 6200rpm. It powered the rear wheel through a 5-speed transmission and also had preload adjustable rear springs – a unusual feature for the era.

When Italian custom motorcycle builder Lorenzo Buratti saw his first Honda FT500 he realised that there was another bike just under skin that had real potential, so he found one to buy and set about creating what he thinks is the perfect urban commuter.

The stock Honda FT500 comes with a solid 500cc thumper and a solid frame, so Lorenzo kept them as they were and added a fuel tank from an old Aermacchi Harley-Davidson. He then bolted on the seat and pipes from an old scrambler project before fabricating a small dashboard out of 3mm leather – this leather dash holds all the usual wiring and also takes care of the ignition mechanism.

Lorenzo says that “not everyone can agree with it” when talking about his leather dash, I like it as an interesting design feature but I can understand that there’d be more than a few armchair-bike-builders who’d want to whine about it.

To complete the bike, Hagon shocks were added as was a K&N air filter, a front light from an old Ducati Monster and a wide, enduro handlebar. The finished product is an ultra-lightweight urban commuter that had the ability to go adventuring down off-road trails should the desire take you.

If you’d like to see more from Lorenzo Buratti, you can visit his , or see the last feature we did on one of his two-wheeled creations here.

Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.

BarkaSiedlce was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.

The Ducati 750 Sport is an exceedingly rare motorcycle that sits squarely between its two more famous siblings – the Ducati 750 GT and the Ducati 750 Super Sport (SS). Put simply, the Ducati 750 Sport (also known as the 750S) was a higher-performance version of the slightly more consumer-friendly 750 GT.

The Cunningham C3 The Cunningham C3 was to be the only non-racing car ever built by Briggs Cunningham and his team, and it only came about due to a last minute rule change to enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1953. This new rule called for all entered cars to have a production run…

The Yamaha RZ350 Kenny Roberts Edition is a holy grail for fans of two-strokes, it was the last street-legal two-stroke ever offered for sale in the USA due to tightening emissions regulations, and the RZ350 remains so popular today that entire races are dedicated to them called “RZ Cups”. The Yamaha RZ350 Kenny Roberts Edition In order to…

Anyone who’s ever had an argument with Siri or Alexa will already be familiar with the parallels to HAL 9000 – the prescience of the digital Arthur C. Clarke character has proven to be truly startling. Now for the first time ever you can buy your own fully-functional HAL 9000 in either wall-mounted and voice-interactive…

The new Dainese Shelton D-WP Boots look almost completely like regular streetwear, making them ideal for urban and city riders who need to walk without hobbling when they get off their bike. The Dainese Shelton D-WP Motorcycle Boots Each pair os made with a full grain cowhide leather upper fitted with an internal D-WP breathable waterproof membrane…

The Nexx XG100 Racer Billy B helmet is one of the most affordable carbon composite motorcycle helmets on the market right now – the shell is made up of aramid fibers, carbon reinforcement, 3D organic fibers, and multiaxial fiberglass. Nexx Helmets have dubbed this shell material X-Matrix technology, and it results in a remarkably strong…

BarkaSiedlce was founded in 2010 as a website dedicated to Gasoline Culture and all it entails - We write about modern cars, classic cars, motorcycles, racing, gear, gadgets, clothing, boats, planes, airships and the occasional submarine. Read more...